Dr. Tenniswood proposes to organize the second Gordon Conference on Cell death in July, 1997 at Colby-Sawyer College, New London, NH. The inaugural Gordon Conference on Cell death was held in July, 1995, at the same location, to bring together researchers from a wide variety of specialties, using a variety of model systems to identify the common cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in cell death, and to identify the most critical issues that need to be addressed in this field. Since that initial conference, the comparative morphology of apoptosis in neuronal, immunological and endocrine systems has been well characterized, and the focus of the second meeting will be primarily on the molecular mechanisms underlying the induction of apoptosis, and the control and resistance to apoptosis at the intracellular level. The involvement of apoptosis in a selected number of physiological and pathological conditions will also be discussed in detail.